


You're trying my patience

by Rangergirl3



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [8]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Needles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-16 19:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19324288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rangergirl3/pseuds/Rangergirl3
Summary: Keith hates needles.But he hates the thought of Pidge being in danger even more.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt by thenorthernphoenix: Humiliation with Keith and Pidge

_Oh, fun, I'm in a Galra cell again. Do they hand out awards for this? Maybe I should ask. Though maybe not. They wouldn't get the joke._

Pidge wants to chuckle, but her head hurts, her fingers ache, and she can't sit up.

_That's not good._

First of all, she should damn well know why her head hurts. Second, with her fingers all curled-in-on-themselves like this, there's no way she'll be able to hack out of a cell. Finally, she hates having her back to the door.

" _Pidge_!"

At least she knows that there's someone in the cell with her.

"Pidge?"

Hopefully this someone is a friend, or at least a neutral party. If they're an enemy, she won't be able to defend herself.

"Pidge, can you hear me?"

Then again, she could always try biting. It was amazing, what the human jaw could manage if -

" _Pidge_?"

Oh. The voice belongs to Keith.

That's good.

Probably.

Oh, _wow_ , her head hurts.

* * *

She blinks slowly. For a second, she thinks that whatever has given her this headache from hell and paralyzed her body has also has affected her vision, because Keith is crying.

He never cries. 

_Right?_

"...aw..." she says. It's such a weird sound, and so unlike her, but her brain is all fuzzy and she can't really bring herself to stop talking. "...'re...sweet..."

She meant to make him glare at her or roll his eyes or something, but instead he wipes the back of his hand across his face and just hugs her close. After a few seconds she hears him clear his throat. 

"Don't - t-tell anyone. 'm the lone wolf, remember? Gotta - keep that up. Or Lance will never - "

His attempt at humor disintegrates, and he hugs her tighter.

Pidge hums in vague agreement. 

"...ssure, yeah...uh-huh. Yep."

_Okay, that's not like her **at all**. Slurring every other word? _

_She's definitely off of her game._

"...escue....?" she asks. 

He's still hugging her, so she doesn't see his face when he answers.

"No, sorry. I got caught right after you - "

He cuts off, swallows, and Pidge could swear that Keith, who normally never, _ever_  admits to anything emotional at all, is truly terrified at whatever image flashes through his mind in that moment.

"-after the Druid hit you with that - that spell. Pidge, I thought - I thought you _died_."

"Naaaah," she slurs again. " 'm suuuuper hard t' kill. Like, _Terminator_. I alwayssss come back."

He still hasn't stopped hugging her. 

_Shit, he really thought she was dead._

"I'm serious, Pidge. Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?"

_Oh. Now **that's** not fair._

She frowns in irritation and mumbles into his shoulder. "Hmmph. 's not fair. 'ou - do it - all the time."

He helps her sit up against the wall, but she nudges his shoulder with her forehead, to tell him she likes the hug, and he gets it, so he doesn't stop hugging her.

"Bullshit," he growls. "I don't do it all the t-"

"-'eah you do."

"B-"

" _Yep_ ," she says, nodding once, decisively. Then she winces, closes her eyes, and thunks her forehead back into his shoulder. "Ow. Head. Owowow _ow_."

He winces in empathy. "Try not to move too much, okay? I think you might have a concussion."

She turns her head to one side and glares up at him, still annoyed at his blatant hyprocrisy.

"-'s fine," she mumbles again. "-ou do this - all the-uuuh time."

"No," he growls again. "No, I don't, Pidge, I just - " He cuts off, turning to look at the locked door of their cell. "I thought I heard something."

Pidge squints one eye towards the door. " 'I don' hear - 'nythin'."

Keith shifts his weight so that he's sitting between her and the door. 

"Forget it," he says. "Pidge, listen, I don't - I don't just ignore everything, okay? I just - "

She would try to look at him skeptically, but with her head pounding like this, she's pretty sure she would just end up crossing her eyes and _that_ would make her throw up, almost definitely.

"-look, Pidge, I know you're tough as nails, and you're a good fighter. One of the best. But I can't -"

She waits for him to continue, knowing that she's about two seconds away from growling.

"-I can't just stand by and do nothing if you're in danger, okay?"

"-'d better not be because I'm a _girl_ ," she growls back. "-'d be **so** _stupid_ , Keith."

From what she can see, Keith blinks down at her, genuinely confused.

"What the _fuck_ does you being a girl have to do with _anything_?"

Pidge squints one eye as she looks back at him. "Or 'cause 'm _short_..."

Keith does roll his eyes then. "What? Oh, god, no. Pidge - you're my friend, okay? And I'm going to do whatever it takes to watch your back."

She twists her mouth into a skeptical frown. " 'kay, then."

He holds up one hand, as if he's making a promise.

"You're more than capable on your own. But you're _not_ on your own. I've got your back."

She thinks for a moment. _Okay. That seems fair._

"...kay..." she says again, but this time, she means it. 

* * *

Only moments later, footsteps in the corridor approach their cell door. 

Pidge tries to lift one arm up, to tap Keith's shoulder, but to her dismay, she still can't move.

Keith doesn't stir. 

He's still hugging her, and he still has his back to the cell door. 

_What?_

"Pidge," he says. "They think you're still unconscious."

"What’re you-"

"Just, whatever happens - don’t let them know you’re awake, ok?"

"But-"

The half-smile he gives her is gone so quickly, she thinks she might have imagined it.

"Trust me, okay?"

Then the cell door opens, and someone tells the Red Paladin to move aside. He doesn’t.

’How sweet." The voice sneers.

Keith doesn’t look up, but he hugs Pidge tighter as he answers.

"She’s my friend."

The voice snorts.

* * *

* * *

Someone kicks him in the back, and Keith takes it, because he’s not moving, and he’s not letting go of Pidge, no matter what they do to him.

Clawed fingers grab hold of Keith’s hair and tries to yank him away, but Keith keeps his chin tucked down and focuses all his energy on keeping his arms wrapped around Pidge.

He wishes he could fight, but he's outnumbered here. More to the point, he knows that the guards were told to keep Pidge unbroken, and in one piece. 

So, he can't let them take her away.

It's as simple as that.

Later, when they're back at the Castle, he'll make sure she knows he didn't mean to invade her personal space like this, not _ever_ , and he'd **_never_** do this to hurt her or to make her uncomfortable or anything ugly like that.

He just - he can't let them take her away.

They'd hurt her.

_Pidge is his friend. He can't let them hurt her. He **won't** let them hurt her._

A knifepoint digs into the back of his skull.

"You want to die here, half-breed?"

Keith growls deep in his throat.

" _You’re not getting her_."

The guard grunts in what might be disgust, and then something hits Keith in the small of the back, knocking him to the ground.

Keith twists his body to keep his back to the door.

He still hasn’t let go of Pidge.

The tip of a boot nudges him in the side. Keith doesn’t dare look up. If he does, they might still find a way to tear him away from Pidge, and that's not an option.

"You want to play the hero?" The guard asks, amused. " _Fine_."

Somethinglike a white hot needle stabs him in the lower back. Keith grunts but doesn’t turn around or loosen his hold on Pidge.

_He’d rather die than let them take her away._

The pain intensifies, then another needle strikes in a different location, near his left shoulder this time. Keith bites back a whimper, but only just barely.

Pidge tries to shift her position, but Keith links his fingers into hers and squeezes her hand, just once, and she goes still again.

"What, don’t want to look weak in front of your girlfriend?" the guard mocks.

Keith opens one eye and glares up at the guard.

_Just how **stupid** is this guy?_

Pidge isn’t his girlfriend, and Keith doesn’t care about looking weak.

_He just wants to keep his friend safe._

Then a third needle jabs into Keith’s right elbow, and it takes all the self-control Keith has not to make a sound.

"Had enough yet?" The guard asks. "This ends when you stop being stupid."

Keith just hugs Pidge closer, clenches his jaw, and closes his eyes.

The guard snorts derisively.

"Fine, then."

* * *

It seems to go on forever.

Keith loses count of the needles somewhere around twenty-five.

The pain doesn’t recede. It just _builds,_ and it continues to increase until finally, Keith can’t pretend it doesn't hurt.

By the time the guard finally slams the door shut, tears are trickling down Keith’s face, and he can only hope that Pidge is still sort of out it, and that she doesn't know he's crying.

If she is still out of it, then - maybe - after they’re rescued - _please let it be soon_ \- he can try to convince her that it didn't hurt as much as it does.

Because it hurts. It hurts so much.

The needles are still embedded in his skin, and he doesn't dare move for fear of driving them deeper into his back and arms and neck.

What if they break off, or splinter, or -

He lets out a breath, takes another one in, slow, steady, just like Shiro taught him.

_Focus on here and now._

Pidge is okay. Or, sort of. She still has a head injury, and she is definitely going to be pissed as hell when she's back to normal. But she's still here.

The Galra haven't taken her away.

That's a win.

* * *

* * *

Pidge focuses all her energy into trying to uncurl her fingers. It takes a maddeningly long time, but she pours her focus into it, because its the only way she won't give vent to the fury rising behind her eyes.

Keith is hurt.

They hurt Keith.

They hurt her friend.

" 'm gonna kill 'em," she growls. "Green and me, we're gonna _kill 'em_."

"-s fine," Keith hisses. "-n't worry 'bout it."

He's a horrible liar. Pidge tells him so.

She can't see his face, but she feels it in his chest when he laughs.

"-eah, 'kay, guess I am."

She thinks about maybe flicking his face with a fingertip, but since she can't uncurl her fingers yet, and his spinal column is littered with spikes of metal, she decides against it.

"I'll give you tips when we get back to the Castle," she says. 

He nods, the tip of his chin pressing down into her hair. 

"-kay."

There's a companionable silence for about a minute. 

"Hey, Keith?"

"...yeah...?"

"You - uh - give nice hugs. You know. For a Red Paladin who throws himself into every possible danger."

Pidge could swear that she hears it when Keith smiles. It's something in his voice.

"...oh...uh...'thanks."

Pidge nudges his shoulder with her forehead. 

"So try not to die, okay?"

He sighs. "...fine..."

She growls. "I _mean_ it, Mullet. The team would miss you. I would - miss you. A lot. You're my friend, too."

Keith huffs out another breath. "...kay."

Pidge headbutts him again in the shoulder. "Promise?"

He nods. "...yeah. Promise."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this isn't really...comfort? Exactly? But it's what I came up with <3

A few hours later, Allura is the first one to reach the cell. She doesn't even bother to shapeshift before twisting the handle off of the door.

She hears Pidge swearing inside, and that familiar litany of half-audible curses is strangely reassuring. 

At least Pidge can speak. That has to be a good sign.

Allura refuses to consider it as anything else.

"I'm coming through!" the Altean Princess shouts through the jagged hole where the locked panel used to be. "Move away from the door!"

"IT'S FINE!" Pidge hollars back. "WE'RE CLEAR! JUST - TRY NOT TO STEP ON US, OKAY?!"

Allura growls to herself. From what she and Coran had seen on the ship's security logs, the Galra stationed here managed to completely immobilize both Paladins just half a varga before the Castle caught up to them.

 _Patience,_ she reminds herself. _There will be time to tear this ship to pieces later, once we're safely away from here._

Allura grips the metal with her gloved hands. "I'm going to crush the metal to one side. Hold on, we'll get you out!"

She doesn't wait for an answer before bracing herself into place and shoving the middle of the solid metal door out of her way. 

It gives surprisingly easily. 

She must be significantly more angry than she allowed herself to realize.

Her teeth flash white under the purple light when she smiles.

 ** _Good_**.

Destroying every obstacle in her way will make rescuing her friends significantly more simple.

* * *

With a few vicious kicks, she destroys the door enough to create an opening large enough for her to step through.

"Pidge, is Keith with you?"

Pidge sounds strange when she answers, like she's been crying.

"Y-yeah - but it's - it's bad, 'llura - you'll have to c-carry him out-or Shiro - or -"

Allura waves one hand, illuminating the pitch black cell with the light of her earrings. There are two people at the far side of the room, but -

The Princess of Altea stops dead in her tracks. Pidge babbles on.

"-irst it was - needles - and then -"

Allura's mind tunes out. She knows she should be able to hear Pidge, but it's as if something has switched off in Allura's mind.

She sees what's in front of her. 

She just doesn't want to fully understand it.

* * *

* * *

_Pidge is talking._

At first, Keith isn't sure if she's talking to him. She hasn't stopped trying to get him to answer her since the guards had left for the second time - but when he hears the metal door screeching open behind him, he automatically tightens his hold on Pidge once more. 

No, damn it, they're **not** taking her, not unless they kill him. Even then, he's determined to go full poltergeist if he needs to. He isn't letting them take her away. Not ever.

_They aren't getting her._

The footsteps come even closer, but Keith keeps his back to the door, because this is what he can do, he can protect his friend and he will never, _ever_ , **_ever_** let the enemy take her away.

Movement behind him. Someone's kneeling down on the floor beside him. He wishes he could turn and snarl at whoever this is, but instead he bites his tongue hard enough to draw blood and wills himself not to make a sound.

_He will **not** break. _

Not now, not after last time.

* * *

_'Stop it! Please, just stop it!'_

_Pidge's words almost drowned out Keith's cry as another six needles ripped from where they had been embedded in his back._

* * *

Keith wishes he could manage to say something defiant, or at least to tell Pidge that he'll be fine, whatever happens, even if the guards are going to start the whole thing over again.

_But he's a terrible liar._

Pidge had told him as much, right before the guards came back with magnets and removed the needles from his back, one, by one, by one.

* * *

_''Admit it, half-breed. It's your friend's fault this is happening to you.'_

_Pidge was crying. Silently, but she was._

_Keith hugged her closer, not daring to look up or do anything other than snarl back the only answer he could think of._

_' **Fuck** the **hell** off.'_

_They used the magnet to pull every single needle out of his back, never stopping, never slowing down. By the time it was done, Keith wasn't sure he'd ever be able to move again._

* * *

"Merciful Ancients, what did they do to him?"

Keith's brow furrows in slow confusion. The pain pounds in every muscle of his body, making it difficult to think.

_Sympathy from one of the guards, after what they'd done?_

He doesn't buy it, not for a second.

_The bastards don't have it in them to feel sympathy. Not for the Paladins, anyway._

To them, Keith is just a worthless, stupid, half-breed blood traitor, and Pidge is a prisoner of war they want to drag off and torture for information.

* * *

_'Impressive.'_

_The toe of a boot nudges Keith's shoulder. It comes away stained with red._

_Keith lets out a groan between his teeth, but he keeps his arms locked into place around Pidge._

_The same fire from before continues to burn inside him._

**_Protect. Protect. Protect._ **

* * *

A hand comes to rest on his shoulder, and Keith can't help but whimper. He hopes that Pidge will be safe, but - but he's not certain he can hold onto her anymore. Even so, he does his best to curl protectively around Pidge even while wishing he could cringe away from the person behind him.

The skin all over his back and arms and neck is all torn and shredded and bleeding and it hurts more than he'd ever thought was possible.

He braces himself for the pain, wishing he could stop shaking, but there's only so much he can do. It doesn't matter what happens, though.

He _will_  protect his friend.

Pidge is still talking to the person behind him.

_Save your breath, Pidge, they won't listen._

But they do. The hand on his shoulder goes away. For a moment, confusion threatens to overwhelm whatever remains of Keith's consciousness.

_It didn't hurt._

_Why...wouldn't it..._

Then, finally, Keith recognizes who's talking to Pidge.

 _Allura._  

* * *

* * *

Allura's palm comes away speckled with red. Pidge hears herself babbling, something about needles and magnets and how damn stubborn Keith is and how he needs a pod _right the fuck_ now or -

"...'llura...?"

Pidge stops mid-syllable, only just remembering to keep still and _not_ to slam her head up into Keith's nose because the _last thing he needs right now_ is another fucking injury. 

"Keith! Keith, are you - can you - uh - "

She doesn't know what to ask. 

_Are you okay?_

Stupid question.

_How do you feel?_

Even worse question.

_Rate your pain on a scale of one to ten?_

Worst question of them all, because she already knows the answer.

* * *

* * *

He can tell that Pidge wants to ask questions, like she always does. Keith almost grins to himself. It's sort of dumb, and maybe even crazy, but he's glad Pidge is still asking questions, even if he can't answer them.

It's endearingly familiar. 

Allura's voice cuts through the fog surrounding his mind.

"-ave to go. Hunk, we're in the last cell on your left - door's open - hurry -"

* * *

* * *

The arms around her loosen their grip, ever so slightly, but Pidge still finds it difficult to hear what he's saying.

"...n't..." 

Allura blinks in confusion. 

"What?"

She squints her eyes and tries to concentrate on the words, and then she realizes that the Red Paladin is telling her something important.

"...d...n't....let Hunk...'n...here..."

Pidge wants to slam her fists against his _~~stupid~~ loyal ~~thick~~ injured_ skull until something gets through to him. 

Like how she wants him to be okay, and how she's furious and devastated and if Hunk throws up because of the blood, that's what _fucking happens_ , but Allura is nodding.

"Right."

The Princess activates her comms once more. "Lance, I need you to meet me at the cell. Hunk, you stay at the end of the passageway and guard our backs. I'm taking Keith now."

But when she tries to lift Keith up, he refuses to let go of Pidge.

Even when they both try to reassure him, he shakes his head and mutters, " _No_. Not leavin'."

The three of them end up staying there until Lance arrives a few dobashes later.

* * *

* * *

The Blue Paladin practically skids to a stop in front of the mangled cell door. 

"Holy -"

He doesn't waste any time in climbing through. 

" _Geez_ , Allura, what did doors ever do to y-"

His joke dies when he sees his friends' condition. Pidge, her fingers all tight and curled like dead twigs, her hair tangled and matted. Keith, with blood still oozing from countless tiny holes in his skin. Allura, crouching beside the two of them, shaking her head at Lance. Her message is clear enough.

_Don't tell Hunk._

Lance hurries forwards, and when he tries to step around Keith to pick Pidge up, Keith almost kicks him half-way back across the room out of sheer reflex.

The Blue Paladin's first instinct is to growl at Keith, because damn it all, this is a rescue mission, and if Lance breaks a leg, Hunk will have to come in here and throw up, and then no one is going to be happy, but he swallows it back.

"Whoa, Keith, it's okay," he says instead. "It's just me. I'm gonna help Pidge, now, okay?"

Keith can't turn his head, but Lance sees a brief flash of purple iris as Keith glances up at him. 

"...'romise...?"

Lance lifts a hand up, doing his best not to: one, make a quip, two, tear up, and three, make some witty remark about how they really should get going. It isn't the time.

"Yeah. I promise."

Keith swallows, then looks down at Pidge, who manages to bonk her head onto his shoulder in a reassuring way.

"It's okay, Keith," she says. "Lance promised."

The Red Paladin nods, and it's only then that Allura is able to lift Keith up and head for the door. Lance hoists Pidge up into a bridal style carry and hurries after them. Just for a second, Lance thinks about making a joke about it to Pidge, you know, bridal style, sweeping her off her feet, but he can't bring himself to do it.

Pidge looks back up at him and tries to smirk, but her chin is wobbling too much for it to be a real one.

"-n-no j-joke?"

Lance makes a 'tsk' sound through his nose. He hugs her closer as he and Allura run towards Hunk, who's guarding their retreat.

"-nah-" he pants. "-but - you know me - "

His boots thud rhythmically on the floor as they speed towards safety. 

"-I'll make seven jokes later to make up for it. S-sound fair?"

She gulps down a sob and nods.


End file.
